Rao Tula Ram flyover may be opened on June 15, 2 lakh commuters to benefit

In an attempt to provide relief to two lakh commuters, the Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover is set to open by June 15. Earlier the deadline was May end.

RTR flyover&nbsp | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspBCCL

New Delhi: In an attempt to provide relief to two lakh commuters, the Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover is set to open by June 15. Earlier the deadline was May end. The flyover is likely to ease the drive to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport from south Delhi.

It is to be noted that the construction of the flyover began in November 2014. Initially, the completion was scheduled for 2016. By the end of that year, the project was merely 5 per cent completed, according to a ToI report.

As per the source in the Public Works Department (PWD), just "5 per cent of the work" needed to be finished. Over two lakh commuters are expected to benefit every day from this flyover.

Numerous technical, financial and environmental factors contributed to the delay of the flyover construction. One of the major hurdles was the permission for tree felling which finally came in September 2016 and the work started in earnest.

"We needed to chop down 500 trees for building the flyover, among the highest number felled for any project in Delhi. That is why getting permission for their chopping took such a very long time," said an official.

Despite the fast-paced construction, there were delays relating to diversion of traffic on the route and shifting of the power and Delhi Jal Board lines. Above this, the area residents filed the court cases against the flyover’s construction which also added to the project delay, claimed PWD officials.

The national publication reported citing a source as saying that "It wasn’t obstacles created by the use of new technologies, just a series of unfortunate problems cropping up regularly. The delays led to the ignominy of the private company hired to build the flyover, Hindustan Construction Company, being penalized Rs 27.8 crore for not meeting the deadline."

Worth mentioning here is that the work of putting up the 77 U-shaped pillars on the 2.9 km stretch was completed only by mid-September 2018. An official told that there were no service lanes on the stretch and this brought additional traffic to the road.

The three-lane flyover was budgeted for Rs 278 crore. It starts near Munirka petrol pump and which slopes down around 400 metres from R&R Army Hospital.

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Rao Tula Ram flyover may be opened on June 15, 2 lakh commuters to benefit Description:In an attempt to provide relief to two lakh commuters, the Rao Tula Ram (RTR) flyover is set to open by June 15. Earlier the deadline was May end. Times Now